Signing of National Indicative Programmes with 16 ACP countries

Today and tomorrow, European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, and Ministers from 16 ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries will co-sign the first National Indicative Programmes under the 11th European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020 in Nairobi (Kenya). The signing ceremony will take place in the margins of the meeting of the Joint Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the EU, in Nairobi. The list of signatory countries includes Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Surinam (the latter being the only non-African signatory country). Nigeria is expected to sign tomorrow. The National Indicative Programmes (NIPs) represent an important step in the programming of EU aid under the European Development Fund (EDF). EU Member States agreed in 2013 the overall amount for development cooperation that will be channeled to 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries under the so-called 11th EDF during the next financing period 2014-2020 (total amount €29.1 billion). In parallel, the preparations of a NIP for each of these countries started, defining the strategy and priorities for EU aid. These preparations are done in close cooperation with the partner countries so as to ensure that NIPs support national priorities where the EU has a value added. For the first time, NIPs are based on governments’ own policies and strategies reflecting their analysis of needs. They are in line with the EU’s vision for future development cooperation, the “Agenda for Change”, which calls for resources to be targeted where they are most needed and can be the most effective. EU funding will focus on a maximum of three sectors per country (possibly four in the case of fragile countries) to achieve maximum impact and value for money of EU cooperation.It is foreseen that by early 2015, the remaining NIPs will be finalised and signed. In parallel, work on designing projects and programmes has also started in all countries.